


You're Important

by dyingpoet



Series: Javid one shots [9]
Category: Newsies - All Media Types
Genre: Anxious David Jacobs, Canon Era, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Insecurity, Jack being Jack, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Slurs, but like just one and it's not used derogatorily
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-11
Updated: 2019-08-11
Packaged: 2020-08-18 21:01:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20198107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dyingpoet/pseuds/dyingpoet
Summary: Davey doesn't think he's important and one particular newsie vehemently disagrees





	You're Important

**Author's Note:**

> cool so this is partly based off an anon prompt on tumblr?? also i love these too and Crave This Level Of Intimacy in my own life so yknow,, gotta p r o j e c t

“It’s nothing, really Jack, I’ll see you later.”

Davey walked off down the street to catch up with Les, and Jack stared after him, frowning and trying to make some sense of their conversation.

A shoulder caught the back of his and a familiar lilt pulled him out of his thoughts. “Keep thinkin’ so hard and ya might break somethin’, Jackie.”

Race grinned at Jack as he leaned on the wall in front of him, bouncing on his heels and picking at the frayed edges of his papers for the day. Jack had no idea how he had that much energy after what was probably only four hours of sleep.

“And that somethin’ might be your jaw if ya don’t can it,” Jack snapped back, tone light enough but Race still tilted his head in question. “Sorry, I’se thinkin’ about somethin’ else.”

“Anythin’ I can help with?” Race asked, fully prepared to hold up the offer if Jack wanted; he was like that. “Is it about Davey?”

Jack was actually about to decline and let Race get off to Brooklyn, but he looked sharply at Race when he mentioned Davey. “Why? You know somethin’?”

Race had triumph written all over his face, and he pulled out his cigar to start gnawing the nicotine off the end. “So it is then.”

Jack let out a tight sigh, then let the tension drop in his shoulders. He wasn’t actually annoyed with Race at all, there was no use getting worked up over nothing. “Yeah, he’s been actin’ weird, right?”

Race nodded. “Yeah, dunno why but he’d been duckin’ out of distribution faster and not staying at lodging as much as he used to. Crutchie noticed it too.”

Of course Crutchie noticed, Crutchie noticed everything, and Jack made a mental note to talk to him later too. “Okay, well I’m gonna figure out what his problem is, ‘s bothering me.”

He nodded to Race and started off down the block, the younger’s voice floated over his shoulder as he did though.

“I wouldn’t push too hard, cowboy, you ain’t gonna get nowhere with him like that.”

* * *

“God, Jack, please just drop it I’m  _ fine _ .”

In hindsight, Jack thought, as he stood in front of a bristling and defensive Davey in the alley across from lodging, Race may have had a point about how to approach this whole thing. 

“Really? Cause it don’t seem like it lately,” Jack said, trying desperately to keep his voice down because he knew that would be the last straw for the boy in front of him. “You barely talk to any of us, ya race off in the morning and stop by for barely a minute after you’se done sellin’.”

He saw Davey’s glare soften, and he took a tentative step forward because it made him remember why he was so intent of getting answers.

“I  _ miss you _ , Dave, I really do, and if I did anythin’ wrong to make ya not wanna spend any time around me or the boys please just tell me, okay?”

“You didn’t do anything,” Davey said after a moment of silence, and all his bitten reservation from a minute ago was gone. He looked tired. “It’s me.”

Jack frowned and Davey sighed, wringing his hands and studying the brick behind Jack’s head before he continued, voice slow and careful.

“I don’t really feel like I’m important, to all you guys.”

A silence stretched for a few seconds as Jack tried to even  _ process  _ what Davey just said. 

Davey immediately took a step back and Jack saw him start clawing at his nail beds. “I’m sorry, that uh, that came out wrong and I actually didn’t even really mean it so it’s fine. Forget I said anything.”

“What are you  _ talking  _ about?” Jack asked finally, loudly, and he lowered his voice when Davey flinched. “How could ya think you’re not important?”

Davey opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but just stuttered silently for a second. The sun was setting but Jack could still see he was bright red. “You are important, to all of us. Seriously, Dave.”

The discomfort radiating off of Davey was physical, and Jack could tell he was starting to clam up and would probably end up walking off and pulling the same shit he’d been doing the last week or so out of embarrassment. So he kept talking. 

“Like, Elmer talks all the time ‘bout how you’re teachin’ him math and readin’ and stuff, and honestly I never saw any of the others give a shit about that stuff either until you showed up.”

“Jack it’s really-”

Jack shook his head and kept talking over Davey. “And y’know how ya told Race he was smart for knowin’ all that stuff about bettin’ and cards? The math stuff? I really ain’t ever seen him as happy as he was after ya told him that, and that kid used to cry to me when he was little sayin’ he was  _ dumb _ .”

“And shit, I thought I was a freak for the longest time, did I ever tell ya that? For bein’ a queer? And I always knew too, but you didn’t even care about it, did ya? Ya told me ya didn’t care and you felt the same way and I was so happy, yknow? It felt so good Davey, to not feel like I was messed up and broken, and  _ you  _ did that.”

Jack was almost whispering at that last bit, aware they were still outside, but he could feel himself getting jittery just from talking about all this and it really should have been the other way around but Davey was wrapping his arms around him before he could keep going.

It was short-lived, it had to be, but it said what it had to, and Jack was almost shaking when Davey pulled back.  _ He  _ was definitely shaking. 

“Thank you, Jack.”

God he looked like he might cry and Jack felt a tightness in his own chest, too. “Don’t worry ‘bout it. Can you and Les stay at lodgin’ tonight? Please?”

Davey’s expression softened at the open timidness in Jack’s voice, and he nodded. “Yeah, yeah we can.”

A grin split Jack’s face in two, and he grabbed Davey’s arm and pulled him out of the alley before he had the chance to think about it and change his mind. “Good, ‘cause I gotta show you the new backdrop I’ve been workin’ on, and little Romeo said somethin’ about a book ya lent him.”

Jack kept talking the whole way back, never dropping his grip on Davey’s arm as he did. Davey, he noticed, was smiling quietly to himself as Jack ran off at the mouth at anything that had happened at lodging during the week Davey’s presence had been sparse, not seeming to mind not being able to get in a word himself.

* * *

An hour or so later both of them were up on the roof. One look at the two of them and Crutchie suddenly remembered he promised to sleep with one of the littles that had been having nightmares. Like he said, Crutchie noticed everything. 

“Jack this is amazing,” Davey said softly, sitting down in front of the canvas he’d been working on and Jack see him physically restraining himself from reaching out and touching the pain. “It looks so life like, like you could walk right in.”

Jack sat down next to him, hissing a little as his muscles protested the movement. “Yeah well, it still needs work, and I got til next week to get it done, so I ain’t that worried yet.”

“You don’t give yourself enough credit.”

“Says you!” Jack shot back, eyebrows raised playfully and Davey ducked his head down, smiling. “Didja forget what we just talked about?”

Davey looked at him sidelong, flustered, and mumbled back, “It was mostly you and your big mouth.”

Gasping in mock offense, Jack placed a hand over his heart and leaned back from Davey. “‘Scuse me? What was that?”

“Nothing,” Davey answered, but he was smirking just a little bit and Jack thought his heart might just burst from the sight of it. 

“Nah, I think ya said somethin’.”

Davey shrugged, about to say something, but whatever it was turned into a yelp when he looked up and Jack pounced on him. “Jack!”

He was laughing and pushing half-heartedly at Jack’s chest when the stronger boy straddled his hips and fought from laughing back. “This is what happens to liars, Dave.”

“Yeah, I’m sure you and Race are doing this all the time-”

Jack leaned down and pressed him lips to Davey’s cutting him off, and Jack could feel him smiling into the kiss. 

Pulling back, Jack pressed his forehead to Davey’s. “You’se important, ya know that right?”

Davey’s eyes flicked away from Jack’s, but he nodded shyly. “Yeah.”

A weight lifted off Jack’s shoulders at that, at actually knowing that Davey believed him, and he moved his head to start kissing softly at Davey’s neck.

“I mean, you practically shouted it at me for ten minutes once you cornered me in the alley.”

“Okay that’s it, smartass,” Jack said, looking up to male brief eye contact with Davey before blowing hard against his neck, smiling against the skin once Davey burst out laughing.

“Jack-quit it!”

The penthouse was full of laughter that night, both of theirs at different points, and it felt like everything went back to the way it should be. For both of them. 

**Author's Note:**

> ayyyy fluffy ending!! we love those in this house!!!!
> 
> if u liked this please leave kudos/comments if u can!!! im starting college in like,, 4 days so my writing might be less frequent ut feedback always helps!!


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